1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to the fields of fiber optics and flexible, preferably organic, light-emitting diodes.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of optical coupling components is typically required to couple light produced by a Lambertian light source to an optical fiber, because the optical fiber has a limited numerical aperture. An example of a Lambertian light source is a Light Emitting Diode (LED). An example of a method for coupling light produced by a light-source (LED) into a fiber is disclosed in Japanese Application No. JP-2001078961, which is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference. In the '961 application, light originating from different LEDs is coupled into an optical fiber using focusing means. In German Patent No. DE10054552, which is also incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, light produced by a LED is coupled to an optical fiber by using an optical lens. There is a need in this field of technology to provide an integrated optical device in which no optical coupling components are necessary.